I'm new to seadream. What's it like?

[Eastcstrob]

I've been reading the boards a lot over the past day or so. I read a few mixed reviews about the yachts and life on the yachts. I've a few questions hoping you folks could elaborate on.

 

Meals? Is there a standard menu? Can/do they customize to likes/dislikes. I have two vegetarians in our group, are their choices severely limited?

 

All-inclusive. The website makes a very good case for the higher fares by offering inclusive service, I understand shore excursions I'm on my own for, spa treatments and it mentioned blackjack. Other then those few things what could possibly be extra?

 

I appreciate anyone who answers, I'm looking at a Caribbean sailing out of San Juan. Any thoughts, tips or insights are much appreciated

[knotheadusc]

Personally, I love SeaDream. It is very inclusive and, I think, the staff is very willing to cater to what guests want. Vegetarianism is not a problem on SeaDream. They have vegetarian and even vegan options on the menu, as well as a new raw food section. The waitstaff will quickly learn your likes and dislikes if you speak up about them. For instance, I hate mushrooms. I told my waiter and the whole staff knew by the end of the day!

 

Life onboard is very casual and laid back. To me, the staterooms are comfortable, but there are no balconies and the rooms are small. If you're looking for really nice staterooms, you might want to look at Seabourn or onne of the other lines. The staterooms are not that important to me, since I tend to spend a lot of time outside.

 

Entertainment consists of dancing, singing at the piano bar, mingling with other passengers, and movies/concerts under the stars. I prefer that to the "Broadway" shows on the bigger ships, but your mileage may vary.

 

Extra charges might include spa, laundry, gambling, excursions, transportation (taxi rides from the yacht), Internet, premium wines or liquors, and anything you buy in the shop. While we paid less to sail on Royal Caribbean our first cruise, our bill at the end of the voyage was higher than it was on SeaDream. In fact, I think their spa services are pretty reasonable... cheaper than Royal Caribbean's and a hell of a lot less high pressure sales going on.

[Eastcstrob]

Thank you for the reply. May I ask what would be considered premium drink?

[knotheadusc]

Johnnie Walker Blue Label, certain aged scotches, certain cognacs, the more expensive wines... Someone who's been on more recently than I have will surely chime in with more specific brands. Most liquors are included, though, and they do have some good quality stuff included in the fare. It's just the really rare/pricey spirits that they charge for.

 

They do offer savings on some nights for services and wines. I know my husband got 15% off a bottle of champagne.

[Eastcstrob]

Johnnie Walker Blue Label, certain aged scotches, certain cognacs, the more expensive wines... Someone who's been on more recently than I have will surely chime in with more specific brands. Most liquors are included, though, and they do have some good quality stuff included in the fare. It's just the really rare/pricey spirits that they charge for.

 

They do offer savings on some nights for services and wines. I know my husband got 15% off a bottle of champagne.

 

Fair enough, Johnny blue is yummy but definitely not an all inclusive liqour type :)

[knotheadusc]

San Juan is a good port to take the plunge from! As our own DisneyJen says, nobody does the Caribbean like SeaDream. ;)

 

There are other luxury lines that have more state of the art facilities along with lower fares. However, SeaDream has a wonderful staff who really make an effort to get to know what their guests like and dislike. I think the staff is my favorite part of the SeaDream experience, along with the fact that there are no formal nights and no assigned company at dinner! I also like the fact that it's very easy to meet people and make new friends on SeaDream.

 

Good luck with your decision!

[BeignetBoy]

I've been reading the boards a lot over the past day or so. I read a few mixed reviews about the yachts and life on the yachts. I've a few questions hoping you folks could elaborate on.

 

Meals? Is there a standard menu? Can/do they customize to likes/dislikes. I have two vegetarians in our group, are their choices severely limited?

 

All-inclusive. The website makes a very good case for the higher fares by offering inclusive service, I understand shore excursions I'm on my own for, spa treatments and it mentioned blackjack. Other then those few things what could possibly be extra?

 

I appreciate anyone who answers, I'm looking at a Caribbean sailing out of San Juan. Any thoughts, tips or insights are much appreciated

 

I can amplify and agree 100% with the comments made above. We are generally not fans of cruises, but what makes Sea Dream work for us is the service we received from the crew on board, and the ease of meeting new people. The food is outstanding, and the drink offerings are very generous. We are departing on our 3rd Sea Dream cruise in a few months.

[DisneyJen]

San Juan is a good port to take the plunge from! As our own DisneyJen says, nobody does the Caribbean like SeaDream. ;)

...

 

Good luck with your decision!

 

So very true knot!

 

In terms of meals ... if there is something that you would like ... just ask. One day while on board in February we were craving onions rings before lunch. We said something to Marks and they magically appeared:)

 

I have issues with certain foods and the chef makes sure that I have options that are incredibly prepared and delicious. For instances, I am allergic to caviar (I know the horror) ... The maitre'd and HotMan work with the Chef to ensure that I have my own special treats that are perfect accompaniments to champagne in the surf. The key is to let Miami know ahead of time of the food issues and then seek out the HotMan and maitre'd the first day on board.

 

Remember this is YACHTING not cruising ... meaning a very laid back lifestyle on board.

[SummerBrz654]

I've been reading the boards a lot over the past day or so. I read a few mixed reviews about the yachts and life on the yachts. I've a few questions hoping you folks could elaborate on.

 

Meals? Is there a standard menu? Can/do they customize to likes/dislikes. I have two vegetarians in our group, are their choices severely limited?

 

All-inclusive. The website makes a very good case for the higher fares by offering inclusive service, I understand shore excursions I'm on my own for, spa treatments and it mentioned blackjack. Other then those few things what could possibly be extra?

 

I appreciate anyone who answers, I'm looking at a Caribbean sailing out of San Juan. Any thoughts, tips or insights are much appreciated

 

I'm new to SeaDream too! It looks like we will be going in May of 2013 to the Mediterranean. Not sure which itinerary yet as we are traveling with 2 other couples. Any input as far as itinerary, excursions, or anything would be appreciated. How is the dress compared to the cruise ships?

-Judy

[knotheadusc]

If you go in May 2013, you might be cruising with me and my husband and a bunch of other Cruise Critic regulars! :) We're on SD1 leaving May 11 out of Rome.

 

Dress is resort casual. There are no formal nights, so there's no need to pack evening gowns or tuxes!

[SummerBrz654]

If you go in May 2013, you might be cruising with me and my husband and a bunch of other Cruise Critic regulars! :) We're on SD1 leaving May 11 out of Rome.

 

Dress is resort casual. There are no formal nights, so there's no need to pack evening gowns or tuxes!

 

Cool!!! That just might be the one we do, thinking of including Sicily if we can. Doing this with 2 other couples (my brother and sister) and we have relatives in Sicily. However my sister has been to Greece and might be leaning towards one of the other voyages.

Glad to hear we can leave the formal attire home! The last cruise we took on Norwegian we decided to not do anything formal. It was a 17 day cruise and I wanted to save room in my luggage for other stuff. Anyway would much rather skip getting dressed up... this is vacation!

Since we will need 3 cabins, do you recommend booking now or waiting to see if fares come down? I'm just afraid that if we need 3 cabins we might get out of luck if we wait.

Thanks for your response. Maybe we will be cruising together. :)

Judy

[knotheadusc]

I know there were several who booked early for that particular voyage. However, I also notice that they've dropped the price since we booked. I don't know if they'll drop the price again... If you want cabins together, I would recommend booking now.

 

My husband I chose this itinerary by chance. I found four that we could do, wrote them on slips of paper, put them in a hat, and had him choose. The May 11th cruise was the winner. :)

[IanI]

We've just returned from a cruise on SD1 Dubrovnik to Athens and one thing that's not included is body wash in the shower. For a premium product I couldn't believe it either. So take your own or be prepared to keep moving the soap from the wash basin to the shower and back. After 3 days they eventually provided a second bar of soap. I've posted a full review on the ship page.

[zqvol]

We've just returned from a cruise on SD1 Dubrovnik to Athens and one thing that's not included is body wash in the shower. For a premium product I couldn't believe it either. So take your own or be prepared to keep moving the soap from the wash basin to the shower and back. After 3 days they eventually provided a second bar of soap. I've posted a full review on the ship page.

 

 

I'm not sure where you looked but along with shampoo and conditioner shower gel is also provided (well it was in abundant supply when we were there a month ago).

[zqvol]

I'm not sure where you looked but along with shampoo and conditioner shower gel is also provided (well it was in abundant supply when we were there a month ago).

 

 

FT tells me that what I thought was shower gel was shampoo, so I will stand corrected. Apologies to all.

[Jim Avery]

FT tells me that what I thought was shower gel was shampoo, so I will stand corrected. Apologies to all.

 

Its not nice to fool with Mother FT.:eek::D

[frequent traveler]

FT tells me that what I thought was shower gel was shampoo, so I will stand corrected. Apologies to all.

 

There's not much difference in the chemical composition between BVLGARI body wash and shampoo and when it comes to removing sunscreen, the shampoo probably works better, so I was quite happy to use it for multi purpose. I had no problem asking the cabin attendant for extra soap, conditioner and extra extra lotion since my skin drinks it up in a sunny environment. I actually thought it wasteful when our attendant kept replacing the soap by the bathroom sink on a daily basis. At least she left the one in the shower alone.

 

FT

[zqvol]

Its not nice to fool with Mother FT.:eek::D

 

 

I know!

[knotheadusc]

I understand that on an expensive cruise like SeaDream one might expect both body wash and soap; but for me, it's not a problem moving the soap to the shower. It's not like the bathroom is huge and requires a lot of energy to move that bar of soap. Also, I'm pretty sure the cabin attendant will give you more soap if you require more. All you have to do is ask.

 

I came home from both of my SeaDream cruises with plenty of shampoo, lotion, and conditioner. In fact, I just recently finished off the bottle I brought back from our cruise in November... but then I only use my Bulgari toiletries when I'm feeling frisky.;)

[knotheadusc]

Turns out the Bulgari shampoo doubles as shower gel... Check the label. ;)

 

[CDreamer]

Turns out the Bulgari shampoo doubles as shower gel... Check the label. ;)

 

 

Good catch, Knot! ;)

[frequent traveler]

Good catch, Knot! ;)

 

Now I don't feel so bad that I am blind as a bat in the shower (reading glasses just don't cut it)

Thanks - I love the clear bottles. So easy to see when you are running low!

FT

[zqvol]

Now I don't feel so bad that I am blind as a bat in the shower (reading glasses just don't cut it)

Thanks - I love the clear bottles. So easy to see when you are running low!

FT

 

 

I knew I read that somewhere!

[IanI]

For the avoidance of any doubt I’ve attached a photo of the current product. Prior to this Seadream have supplied the green and grey tea products which have a dual use.

Whilst not a qualified chemist if it says shampoo on the label that’s what I use it for. If Bvlgari wanted it used as a general purpose product I’m sure they would label it so.

As for those prepared to use it as shower/ body wash that’s the difference between what they’ll accept from a quality cruise line and what I expect.

[frequent traveler]

Good catch, Knot! ;)

 

ZQ Vol and I continued to have a difference of opinion on his one -and finally figured out - we started out with bottles of the "combo" Shampoo & Shower Gel labeled as such during week 1, then moved to bottles of Shampoo only during week 2. I know I like this fragrance "Au the Blanc" much better than the Silver BLVGARI that SD had been using for several years since it left the Tea Green, which I also liked immensely (and usely brought several bottles of lotion home as "sovenirs"). I just didn't care for the Silver frangrance or how the lotion sat on my skin as opposed to being absorbed. I still used just to avoid bringing my own from home, but just wasn't my favorite like the adored Green

 

oh well, such a minor thing but both Rutzie and Maribel (cabin attendants) were great at leaving extras of the Au Blanc this trip once I left them a note asking for more.

FT